Refrigerated Case

ABSTRACT

A refrigerated display case has a body ( 72 ), at least one door ( 28; 32 ) coupled to the body, and an internal refrigerated compartment ( 24 ). The case includes a lighted sign apparatus ( 32 ) mounted to the body. The apparatus includes a bulb ( 64 ), a housing ( 60 ), and an at least partially transparent and/or translucent sign ( 62 ) carried by the housing. A number of extractable snap fasteners ( 120 ) extend through associated holes ( 150 ) in the housing and engage the sign to retain the sign in an installed condition.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

Benefit is claimed of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/744,048, filedMar. 31, 2006, and entitled “Refrigerated Case”, the disclosure of whichis incorporated by reference herein as if set forth at length.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to refrigerated cases. More particularly, theinvention relates to lighted signs for such cases.

In several configurations of refrigerated case (including freezers), abacklit sign is positioned along a header above the case doors. The signincludes an at least partially transparent or translucent panel held infront of one or more lightbulbs. Such panels must often be removed(e.g., to replace the panels or replace the bulbs). Various panelretention mechanisms are known. In one group, the panel is held within ametallic frame. A lip of the frame engages a perimeter portion of thepanel front surface/face. A lower edge of the panel may be supported bya bottom portion of the frame. To retain the panel against rearwardmovement, a plurality of screws extend through the frame. Tip portionsof the screws in the interior of the frame engage a perimeter portion ofthe panel rear surface/face.

To remove the panel for panel or bulb replacement, some or all of thescrews are at least partially unscrewed to retract their tip portionsand permit disengagement of the tip portions from the panel rear face.The panel may then be rotated and/or translated in a series of movementsto permit its removal (optionally including a slight bending/flexing ofthe panel). Panel replacement/reinstallation may be by a reverse of thisprocess.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Such use of screws may have one or more of several disadvantages.Unscrewing and rescrewing may be cumbersome and time-consuming. Thepotential exists for stripping of the screwhead and/or the frame hole.

Accordingly, one aspect of the invention involves a refrigerated displaycase having a body, at least one door coupled to the body, and aninternal refrigerated compartment. The case includes a lighted signapparatus mounted to the body. The apparatus includes a bulb, a housing,and an at least partially transparent and/or translucent sign carried bythe housing. A number of extractable snap fasteners extend throughassociated holes in the housing and engage the sign to retain the signin an installed condition.

In various implementations, the snap fasteners may include a first groupalong the bottom of the housing and a second group along a top of thehousing. The snap fasteners may consist essentially of nylon. The snapfasteners may comprise a head and a transversely-apertured shaftdepending from the head. The housing may comprise first and secondpieces. The first piece may essentially form a top and first side of thehousing and the second piece may essentially form a bottom and secondside of the housing. The sign may be replaceable by extracting at leastone of the fasteners, removing the sign, replacing the sign with areplacement sign, and replacing the extracted fastener(s). A similarprocess may be used for bulb replacement.

The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth inthe accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features,objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thedescription and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view of a refrigerated case.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a header-mounted sign of the case of FIG.1.

FIG. 3 is a view of a housing of the sign of FIG. 2 with a sign panelexploded forward.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the housing of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the housing of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the housing of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a top view of a first member of the housing of FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the member of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a bottom view of a second member of the housing of FIG. 3.

FIG. 10 is a rear view of the member of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a front view of a fastener of the housing of FIG. 3.

FIG. 12 is a side view of the fastener of FIG. 11.

Like reference numbers and designations in the various drawings indicatelike elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a refrigerated case 20 having a housing 22 surrounding aninterior compartment 24. In the exemplary case 22, a recirculatingairflow is directed from/to the compartment 24 by a refrigerationequipment cassette 26 (e.g., containing the compressor, heat exchangers,expansion device, fans, and the like). The exemplary case 20 has a pairof doors 28 and 30. Above upper edges of the doors, the exemplary caseincludes a lighted sign 32.

Each exemplary door includes a frame 40 holding one or more glass orother transparent panes 42. Each exemplary door is supported by a pairof upper and lower hinges 44 and 46 and has an opposite handle 48. Thedoor may be held in a closed condition by means of a magnetic seal,biasing spring, or gravity cam device (not shown). An exemplary sign 32extends essentially full case width and spans the doors. The exemplarysign 32 includes a frame or housing 60 holding a sign panel 62 in frontof a lightbulb 64. Via an appropriate combination of opaque,transparent, and translucent areas of different color, opacity, texture,and the like, the panel 62 provides a lighted graphitic having designand/or written elements.

The exemplary bulb 64 is an elongate transversely-extending florescentbulb. FIG. 2 shows the bulb 64 on a fixture 66 mounted to a frontsurface 68 of a header area 70 of a main housing body 72. FIG. 2 furthershows the panel 62 as having front and rear faces 80 and 82 and upperand lower edges 84 and 86. The housing may be formed from one or moresheetmetal (e.g., stainless or coated steel) pieces, cut and bent toshape. An exemplary housing may be formed from one or more sheetmetalpieces (e.g., cut and bent stainless or coated steel) to enclose aninterior space 88.

The exemplary housing forms an upper wall 90 and a lower wall 92. A lip94 extends downward (depends) from a forward edge of the upper wall 90.A similar lip 96 extends upward from a forward edge of the lower wall. Arear end portion of the upper wall 90 overlaps a forward portion of anupper surface 100 of the main housing body 72. To mount the housing 60to the main housing body 72, screws (e.g., sheetmetal screws) 102 mayextend through holes in the overlapping portions. Exemplary screws areself-threading, passing with clearance through apertures in the upperwall 90 and threaded into the apertures in the main housing body 72.Similarly, a rear lip 110 may depend from a rear edge of the lower wall92. The lip 110 may similarly be secured to the main housing body 72along the front surface 68.

The rear faces of the lips 94 and 96 engage adjacent perimeter portionsof the front face 80 of the panel 62. Perimeter portions of the rearface 82 may be retained by upper and lower arrays of snap fasteners 120extending through the upper and lower walls, respectively. Exemplarysnap fasteners are “arrow clips” available from Micro Plastics, Inc,Flippin, Ark. Gaps may be provided in one or both of the overlappingportion of the top wall or the rear lip 110 to accommodate, for example,adjacent hinges, latches, and the like.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show the housing 60 as including respective left and rightsidewalls 122 and 124 (left being viewed from the point of view of thecase rather than a person facing the case).

FIGS. 7-10 show an exemplary housing formed of two metal pieces, a firstpiece 130 (FIGS. 7 and 8) forms the upper wall 90 and lip 94 as well asthe left sidewall 122 and associated front lip. Similarly, the secondpiece 140 (FIGS. 9 and 10) forms the lower wall 92 and its associatedlips as well as the right sidewall 124 and an associated front lip. Thetwo pieces may be secured to each other (e.g., by screwing, riveting,tack welding, or the like). The upper wall 94 and lower wall 92 includepluralities of holes/apertures 150 for receiving the fasteners 120.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show the snap fasteners having a head 200 and a shaft202 depending from the head and extending to a tip 204. The exemplaryshaft has a transverse central aperture 206 which may provide aresilient bias for shaft branches along either side of the aperture. Theexemplary branch outer surfaces 210 have a first relaxed separation at acentral location, tapering both distally and proximally therefrom toprovide for snap fit insertion and removable extraction through acomplementary hole 150 in the housing. The exemplary complementary hole150 is elongate to correspond to the elongate cross-section of thefastener. The exemplary fasteners are non-barbed to providenon-destructive removability (e.g., by placing a fork-like tool betweenthe head and the housing and prying). The non-destructability allows forre-insertion. Alternative embodiments may involve fasteners which aredestroyed or damaged and may be replaced with replacement fasteners.Exemplary fasteners are of a polymeric or plastic material such asnylon. For easy tool access, the holes may be oriented longitudinally(i.e., with their longer dimension front-to-back).

One or more embodiments of the present invention have been described.Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Forexample, the principles may be applied in the retrofit of an existingcase or the reengineering of an existing case configuration. In anexemplary retrofit or reengineering situation, existing screw holes maybe enlarged to form the snap fastener holes or may be replaced orsupplemented. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of thefollowing claims.

1. A refrigerated display case (20) comprising: a body (72); at leastone door (28; 32) coupled to the body; an internal refrigeratedcompartment (24); a lighted sign apparatus (32) mounted to the body andcomprising: a bulb (64); a housing (60); an at least partiallytransparent and/or translucent sign (62) carried by the housing; and aplurality of extractable snap fasteners (120) extending throughassociated holes (150) in the housing and engaging the sign (62) toretain the sign in an installed condition.
 2. The case of claim 1wherein: the plurality of snap fasteners (120) include: a first groupalong a bottom of the housing; and a second group along a top of thehousing.
 3. The case of claim 1 wherein: the snap fasteners (120)consist essentially of nylon.
 4. The case of claim 3 wherein: the snapfasteners comprise: a head (200); and a transversely-apertured (206)shaft (202).
 5. The case of claim 1 wherein: the housing comprises firstand second pieces, the first piece (130) essentially forming a top (90)and first side (122) of the housing (60) and the second piece (140)essentially forming a bottom (92) and second side (124) of the housing.6. With the case of claim 1, a method for replacing the sign comprising:extracting at least one of the fasteners (120); removing the sign (62);replacing the sign with a replacement sign (62); and replacing theextracted fasteners (120).
 7. With the case of claim 1, a method forreplacing the bulb comprising: extracting at least one of the fasteners(120); removing the sign (62); removing the bulb (64); replacing thebulb (64) with a replacement bulb (64); replacing the sign (62); andreplacing the extracted fasteners (120).
 8. A method for forming thecase (20) of claim 1 comprising: removing screws from the holes (150) orhole precursors thereof; and replacing the screws with the snapfasteners (120).
 9. The method of claim 8 further comprising: enlargingthe hole precursors to form the holes (150).
 10. The method of claim 8wherein: the snap fasteners comprise: a head (200); and atransversely-apertured (206) shaft (202).
 11. The case of claim 2wherein: the snap fasteners consist essentially of nylon and comprise: ahead (200); and a transversely-apertured (206) shaft (202).
 12. The caseof claim 1 wherein: the snap fasteners comprise: a head (200); and atransversely-apertured (206) shaft (202).
 13. A refrigerated displaycase (20) comprising: a body (72); at least one door (28; 32) coupled tothe body; an internal refrigerated compartment (24); a lighted signapparatus (32) mounted to the body and comprising: a bulb (64); ahousing (60); an at least partially transparent and/or translucent sign(62) carried by the housing; and non-screw means (120; 150) forretaining the sign in an installed condition.